How To Pack For A Snow Leopard Trip

Shoes are an important part of any trip to the mountains. Keeping the cold weather in mind, we recommend that you bring an insulated pair of hiking boots for your main pair for use during the day. Insulation is important because once a snow leopard is found, guests spend several hours in one place observing the cats or waiting for them to move. Cats nap a lot during the day. This waiting time can make your feet cold since you’re somewhat inactive. Once your feet are cold, you start getting cold all over and that gets uncomfortable fast.

We recommend boots with at least 400 milligrams of insulation. A lot of our expedition leaders wear boots with a lot more insulation, up to 1600 grams. It’s important that your boot + warm sock combination fits well. Make sure you’ve worn your boots with your socks on a 2 or 3 hour walk at least once before you go on expedition. You don’t want to discover you have ill-fitting boots half way around the world.

We also recommend bringing a 2nd pair of shoes for wear in camp in the evenings. Many guests prefer to let their heavy day-use boots air out during the evening while they switch to a more comfortable pair of shoes or down booties while they are in camp.

Boots are a very personal thing – everyone’s feet are different and people tend to run hot or cold with their feet. So our recommendations might not be the best for your feet – but they are a good starting point for your search. In our experience, guests who have brought rubber insulated boots for use in the arctic have found them to be too warm on snow leopard expeditions. So we don’t recommend boots rated for the arctic or antarctic or use in heavy ice or snow – brands like Muck or Baffin. We want cold weather boots that are comfortable to walk in and stand around in for hours. Make sure to think your footwear choices through when putting together your own snow leopard tour packing list.

We define mid-layers as what goes on above your base layer. This could be a thin Polartec® 3/4 zip, a flannel shirt, or a thin sweatshirt or a sweater. The world’s your oyster when it comes to these layers and you probably already own several of this type of layer. We recommend technical ones such as Patagonia’s R1 series (women/men) or Patagonia’s Better Sweater (women/men) as they add another great layer of insulation and if it gets too warm walking uphill, you can strip your outermost down layers and still stay comfortable.

Good pants are essential. Most outdoor wear sellers have adventure pants that are for winter use. You want something with a relaxed fit that you can walk around all day in. We love partly wind-proof fleece lined pants. Some guests bring double layered snow pants with an water/wind proof outer layer. Remember to try your pants on with your base layers. You want everything to be nice and comfortable.

This layer is just as important as your base layer on your snow leopard tour packing list. A heavy down parka is the ideal outer layer. Lots of insulation. Most of our expedition leaders have multiple down jackets they use. A lighter one for when you’re moving around and active and a heavier parka that can go over when you’re standing around waiting. Many of our guests coming from North America and Europe already own relatively appropriate layers. But here are our recommendations if you’re still using that ski jacket from the early 90’s as your parka.

Main Luggage

Rugged duffel bags are our recommendation for expedition style travel. Depending on where you’re going, your luggage may be transported in the back of a pick-up, on a roof-rack, on a horse, or by porters. Suitcases are bulk and problematic for many of these options. A strong duffel bag is ideal. We’ve really put our North Face and Patagonia duffels through the ringer – they are worth the money. All companies below offer multiple sizes.

Carry-on and Day pack.
Our recommendations for a day pack, something you have on you at all times, are simple. It should be able to hold water bottles, a few layers, and whatever you tend to carry with you everywhere while traveling. Any adventure style pack between 30 and 50 liters is good enough for most people.

If you’re a photographer, an adventure style camera pack such those made by LowePro, F-Stop, or others and generally recommended. Sling and shoulder bags are not recommended. If you’re a photographer with a huge lens, like a 500mm, 600mm, or 800mm, + tripod your pack is probably going to be entirely consumed by your lens. In this case, we highly recommend hiring a porter to carry your camera bag and carrying a day pack yourself. You’ll be glad to not be carrying a heavy load at altitude, and some of our porters are trained to set up and deploy your kit while you catch up to them. Depending on your expedition, a porter may be replaced by an extra horse in Central Asia.

Most guests switch between baseball style caps or sun hats and warm beanies, watch caps, or bomber style hats, depending on whether they are being active or inactive. A warm head helps you stay comfortable when outside for extended periods. Bring something that covers your ears and keeps them out of the wind. Several companies also make down hats.

The sun is strong at high altitudes, so keeping it out of your eyes is important.

Sunglasses that protect you from UV are highly recommended, especially at high elevations. Guests with prescriptions often wear contact lenses during the day with sunglasses. Others bring along prescription sunglasses. Do whatever suits your comfort, but ensure that you’re bringing some form of protection for your eyes.

Many guests prefer to have a scarf around their neck. Many also bring balaclavas/ski masks that they can wear when they are sitting around waiting for a snow leopard to stop napping and start moving.